Friday, 16 March 2012

Valmiki Bannerjee is one of the senior most dancer-choreographers in
Delhi. Hailing from Purva Bangla, now in present Bangladesh, Valmiki had
to cover quite a distance, not just spatially, to reach where he is
today.

He possesses a quality which is rare in people today – humility. A
silent worker, he quietly continues his work in dance and for the
welfare of the community. For example, he teaches many children from
slum areas and even uses them in his shows. He teaches the local
chowkidar of his area - a young boy of sixteen years, who suddenly
discovered in himself, an inclination towards dance. All these, he does
without any monetary returns, taking pains to visit these children’s
parents and persuade them to send their children to him.

Eighty-six years old, he is still agile, mentally and physically.
Without any bitterness as to what he did not get from life, he looks
towards the future with hopes and aspirations, directing all his
energies towards fulfilling his greatest ambition in life – to create
harmony through art, to spread the message of peace, fraternity and
brotherhood through the medium of dance and thus create a truly a humane
society.